The government deputy delegate for the autonomous community of Almeria and the Head Engineer for Coastal Demarcation came to see the Technical Viability Research tests
This morning, the Sando group of companies has been testing the use of a laser scanner (LIDAR) on a raised platform on the Costacabana beach in Almeria, simulating its future integration into a drone. This enterprise is part of a new Technical Viability Research Project called 3D-Coast. It is hoped that this will prove to be as useful as the LIDAR systems for collecting data from beaches and surrounding areas.
The demonstration was carried out in the presence of the government sub-delegate from the autonomous community of Almeria, Andrés García Lorca, and the Head Engineer for Coastal Demarcation, Miguel Ángel Castillo, who saw for himself in situ the potential of the 3D-Coast project for monitoring vulnerable coastal areas from space by means of remote-controlled airborne platforms. Almeria University also took part in the research project, as did the technology company Nadir, and financing was provided by The Technology Corporation of Andalusia (CTA).
During the course of the morning, a LIDAR laser scanner was attached to a raised platform, one of the devices for collecting data still in the development stage in drones, which could be the key to other special research projects in the future. In tests carried out, the geometric characteristics of data from the laser scanner were studied and their synchronisation with positioning systems based on GPS and inertial data for incorporating into drones.
The deputy delegate from the Almeria regional government, Andrés García Lorca, said that "thanks to this system, far more reliable and affordable studies can be done, and moreover, greater in-depth management of coastal dynamics and related procedures, at a much reduced cost".
One of the aims of the 3D-Coast Technical Viability Research Project is to develop methods for studying coastal erosion in sandy areas and the implication of this on the environment, tourism, and identification of public Land and Maritime Public Domain. One of the main objectives is to use this type of laser in beach areas and to use lighter devices so as they can be incorporated on-board drones.
Through the 3D-Coast project, a map of the whole coastal area can be obtained, essential for managing natural disasters such as flooding or sea storms, checking on civil engineering projects along coastal areas, detecting elements which are fundamental for assessing the quality of tourist beaches, or Blue Flag Certification, or for studying the effects of global warming and rises in sea-levels, among other things.
Heading the study is Juan Antonio Báez, the head of Sando’s Innovation, Research and Development department, who successfully introduced the use of drones into the company in 2012 following on from the Las Roads research project: “the 3D-Coast research project fits in with the goals of the European programme Horizonte 2020 and will enable us to integrate new technology, such as Direct Positioning (DiSO), the laser scanner LIDAR and photogrammetry, into drones”.
Also, the Vice Chancellor of Almeria University’s Innovation, Research and Development department, Antonio Posadas, emphasized that part of the work they are doing at the university is to encourage knowledge to be passed over from public to private enterprise, and vice-versa: “Today is a great example of how scientific and technical collaboration between two research groups from Almeria University, (the National Integrated Mechatronics, Robotics and Automation group together with Space Technology Data group), and Sando, plus Nadir, can come together in the light of new technology, creating the potential for it to be incorporated into unmanned airborne devices, known as drones or UAVs, so as this technology can be applied to coastal areas”.
The Technology Corporation of Andalusia lends support to this project since “the incorporation of technology into the building and civil engineering sector leads to competition”, as their technical manager for Tourism and Leisure, Francisco Álvarez, stated, and he went on to add that “furthermore, the results of this project can be used in numerous different ways”.
The 3D-Coast research project aims to be the starting point from which other research projects will develop, especially into the use of drones for the likes of the construction or tourism industry, or the environment. This is a total data solution enabling data to be captured far more quickly, and at a lower cost. The study is due to be completed sometime in March.
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